What will happen at the Majestic after the San Antonio Symphony departs to take up residence at the Tobin? The symphony uses the Majestic 85 days a year, divided over parts of nearly 20 weeks a year.

The answer: more opportunities for nonprofit performing arts organizations that had sought to book the Majestic in the past but no dates were available. Also, more popular music shows are possible, say the executives of Houston-based ACE Theatrical Group LLC.

The city owns the Majestic and the Empire. The master tenant is Las Casas Foundation, which raised the funds to restore the theaters. ACE has the management subleases with Las Casas.

The Majestic, built in 1929, and seating 2,460, has been managed by ACE since 1989. The 1913 Empire, seating 865, reopened under ACE management in 1998.

Since 1989, almost 6 million people have attended about 5,000 events at the Majestic alone.

Part of the city and Las Casas Foundation agreement with ACE was to reserve 85 days a year for the symphony. The symphony's 2013-14 season, its last at the Majestic before moving to the Tobin Center, will be its 25th there.

Without the symphony at the Majestic after June 2014, ACE management will work with the city's Cultural and Creative Development Department to identify performing arts groups that could fulfill the city's goal of having a venue for the city's nonprofits, at least those that may not use the Tobin Center.

Feldman said the Majestic will continue to offer its Broadway in San Antonio series subscription service, which it started in 1991. The Broadway series puts on 90 to 96 shows a year over 11 to 12 weeks, sometimes with two shows a day, Feldman said. With the symphony's departure, an additional Broadway series week may be possible, Feldman said.

ACE has developed a solid working relationship over the years with New York Broadway touring managers and producers, Anderson said. The Broadway series subscribers, now more than 8,000 annually, give Broadway touring show managers the financial confidence they need to book the Majestic, he said.

The Majestic's seating capacity is closer to the standard 2,000-2,500-seat houses Broadway shows prefer, Anderson said. The Tobin Center's largest auditorium will seat about 1,750.

Anderson and Feldman said San Antonio has a sufficient market for the expansion of performing arts venues and capacities that will materialize when the Tobin Center opens.

“San Antonio is a vibrant, growing city,” Feldman said. “The nonprofits are starved for options and venues, and we want to provide new availability and allow smaller groups to come in, those we haven't been able to give dates to.”